Coronavirus testing drops on Friday in SE Texas

Nurse LaTasha Mayon describes the procedure for testing that will take place at the drive-thru testing unit for COVID-19 at Jack Brooks Regional Airport Monday, which will open Tuesday morning. They expect to test roughly 25 people per day and already have a full testing schedule for their opening day. The testing center will service residents throughout several Southeast Texas counties. Photo taken Monday, March 23, 2020 Kim Brent/The Enterprise less

Nurse LaTasha Mayon describes the procedure for testing that will take place at the drive-thru testing unit for COVID-19 at Jack Brooks Regional Airport Monday, which will open Tuesday morning. They expect to ... more

Photo: Kim Brent / The Enterprise

Photo: Kim Brent / The Enterprise

Image
1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

Nurse LaTasha Mayon describes the procedure for testing that will take place at the drive-thru testing unit for COVID-19 at Jack Brooks Regional Airport Monday, which will open Tuesday morning. They expect to test roughly 25 people per day and already have a full testing schedule for their opening day. The testing center will service residents throughout several Southeast Texas counties. Photo taken Monday, March 23, 2020 Kim Brent/The Enterprise less

Nurse LaTasha Mayon describes the procedure for testing that will take place at the drive-thru testing unit for COVID-19 at Jack Brooks Regional Airport Monday, which will open Tuesday morning. They expect to ... more

Photo: Kim Brent / The Enterprise

Coronavirus testing drops on Friday in SE Texas

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

The ticking clock on public coronavirus testing in Southeast Texas didn’t boost turnout on Friday. The number of calls to a screening hotline and the number of people tested dropped to near their lowest points.

That means this week, which also saw record-high numbers of calls and people tested, had the most variance compared to almost any other.

Barely 100 people called the hotline set up by the six-county coalition formed to fight coronavirus locally, down from nearly 300 on Monday.

Only 70 people were tested at the local publicly run sites, the fewest recorded in a day since they opened.

The six county judges who formed the coalition on Wednesday said they hoped to see the percentage of Southeast Texans tested for the virus rise to 2% by the time the testing sites close and jurisdiction transfers back to local health departments and the private sector.

But that would require testing nearly 4,000 people, or an 80% increase, before the May 15 closure date.

More Information

Helpful numbers

(409) 550-2536: Hotline for residents of Jasper, Jefferson, Hardin, Newton, Orange and Tyler counties who want to be tested for coronavirus.

211, option 6: For general coronavirus inquiries.

At a glance

What: Hamshire-Fannett testing

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday

Where: St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 9894 Gilbert Road

What: Jasper County testing

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Jasper County Sub-Courthouse, 33625 Highway 96 S., Buna

What: Hardin County testing

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday

Where: Hardin County Old Courthouse Annex, 440 Monroe, Kountze

Details: A test must be scheduled in advance by calling the number above. Only 100 appointments will be scheduled for each location. Proof is residency is required.

Positive cases of COVID-19, the confirmation of which have at least a 48-hour lag from when an individual is tested to when the results come back, continued their steady rise on Friday.

All eight new cases were from Jefferson County. That put the Southeast Texas total above 600.

The city of Beaumont confirmed seven new cases, three of which were confirmed in people younger than 30, while the eighth case came from a female Groves resident between the ages of 50 and 55.

Next week will be the last for testing at a site in Silsbee and at the Jack Brooks Regional Airport, both of which are run by the six-county coalition. The group also will put on one-day testing clinics in Hamshire-Fannett, Buna and Kountze before totally closing operations.

After that, the hotline used to set up appointments with these testing sites still will be open, but individuals will be forwarded to the health department for their jurisdiction. Each of these departments are forming plans to continue testing or connecting individuals with opportunities to be tested to be ready by May 15.